How the Darkness Won
by FluffyOverlord
Summary: Peter *Wormtail* Pettigrew was one of the four Marauders, he had friends better than any he could have asked for, and he had no reason to join the Dark Lord. That is, until an enemy learns the truth about Peter's father and uses it against him.


_So, not exactly sure where I got inspiration for a Wormtail fic, I wrote it a while back, at least a year or so ago but it's been edited to the best of my ability so I hope it's a bit better than it was originally. Anywho, hope you enjoy my take on Wormtail's downfall!_

_~Fluffy_

_***********************_

**"How the Darkness Won"**

_Peter remembered the day as though it were yesterday, it was hard to forget one of the best days of his life._

*********************************

"Bloody hell, Wormtail, get up already don't make me stick Padfoot on you!" a voice said from outside Peter's bed curtains, he easily recognized it as Prongs.

"Five more minutes," Peter replied groggily.

"You said that five minutes ago."

"And five minutes before that," Peter recognized Moony say.

"It' a lovely day outside, it's time we ruin if for everyone!" said Prongs.

Peter groaned and rolled over in bed swatting at the metal rod getting ready to poke him through the curtains.

"I'm up, get that out of her before you poke my eye out," Peter said, standing up and pulling the curtains back only to have a pointy paper hat shoved on his head. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs were wearing similar hats and now blew into whistlers, making Peter wince at the loud noise so early in the morning.

"Happy Birthday!" they all shouted in unison, while Padfoot pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of Peter.

"How does it feel to be 17, Wormtail?" asked Prongs.

"I'm regretting it at the moment," answered Peter.

"Come now, Wormtail, you haven't even seen the presents!" Moony said, pointing to a stack at the bottom of Peter's bed.

"We haven't got to sing to you either!" Padfoot exclaimed, and him and Prongs exchanged looks.

"You wouldn't," Peter said.

"We most definitely will now, take it away, Prongs!" Padfoot said and Prongs nodded. Peter groaned and shook his head trying to make them stop before they started.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Prongs sang at the top of his voice.

"YOU LIVE IN A ZOO!" Padfoot sang next.

"YOU LOOK LIKE A HAIRY RAT!" Moony said after.

"AND YOU SMELL LIKE ONE TOO!" they all finished together, and Peter groaned, he knew half the school had to have heard that but the three of them grinned widely and begun chucking presents into Peter's arms.

**********************************

_That memory was one of Peter's fondest, it was the last time he had truly felt he was one of The Marauders. It was too bad however that it had been that night that he had started on his path to joining the dark lord. _

**********************************

Peter had begun to grow happier as the day went on, Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs had all tried to beat the other at waiting on the birthday boy. He knew it was more to outdo the other than to actually wait on him but Peter took what he could get. Besides it wasn't every day he could ask Padfoot to give him the only remaining muffin at the breakfast table and he actually would.

"Who do you find more attractive, Wormtail, me or Prongs?" asked Padfoot, wrapping his arm around Prongs as though to put them side by side for comparison.

"Are you serious?" asked Peter, and Moony chuckled and shook his head.

"You won't hurt my feelings either way, Wormtail, tell the truth, I can take it," Prongs said.

"I'm not going to answer that," said Peter.

"Then we'll keep asking till you do, in front of whoever we want," Padfoot threatened with a smirk.

"It's my birthday, you're not allowed to ask me dumb questions on my birthday," Peter said, throwing his hands in the air Padfoot and Prongs frowned and looked sadly at Peter. "That isn't going to work."

"They're not going to quit till you answer them, Wormtail," Moony said, and Peter knew he was right.

"Fine!" Peter said, looking up to the sky, knowing they weren't going to expect this answer. "I think Moony's more attractive."

Moony burst out laughing while Padfoot and Prongs scoffed and pulled out their wands pointing them at Moony.

"Maybe we should do something about that, what do you think, Prongs?" Padfoot asked, playfully flinging his wand back and forth at Moony who had his arms folded unfazed.

"What kind of spell could we use to mar those good looks though, Padfoot?" asked Prongs.

"We could use that hex me and you made, the one that's supposed to cause bad break outs."

"We haven't tested it yet though."

"That makes it all the better."

"Even if you made him look like a caveman, he'd still be more attractive than the both of you," Peter said, and continued walking; he heard the footsteps behind him and knew the three had made-up.

**********************************

_Peter remembered why him and others had went their separate ways that night, he hadn't wanted to because he was worried Padfoot and Prongs might play a bad prank on Moony cause of the answer he had given in response to their question. However he had needed to get to the library._

**********************************

Peter stepped into the library and made his way to the bookshelves, quickly finding the book on Charms he was looking for. He had wanted to study for the Charms test tomorrow but had been having too good a day to break off earlier. After grabbing the book Peter sat down and began to read through it. When he had gotten halfway, he heard someone sit down next to him. He looked over the book and saw it was Barty Crouch Jr., Peter raised an eyebrow at him. The two had never so much as exchanged pleasantries, much less spoken. To Peter's surprise Barty leaned towards him.

"I hear your father is not who you claim," Barty said, with a smirk and Peter began to breath harder in nervousness. "We can get him out, Peter; all you have to do is do something for us."

"I don't know what you're talking about; Crouch," said Peter trying to hide his discomfort.

"I think you do, Pettigrew, if you change your mind come find me."

Barty stood up and left, leaving Peter in fear of if he knew the whole truth about his father and if he'd tell anyone else. He was just a young boy, what could 15 year old Barty Crouch Jr. know about Peter's father? Then again, how would he have known anything at all to begin with.

**********************************

_At the end of his seventh year Peter couldn't handle his mother any longer, every other day he would get a letter from her begging him to come home because she was lonely. It was because of his love for his mother that caused him to turn to Barty._

**********************************

Peter found Barty walking alone to his luck and pulled him aside to talk with him. He couldn't help feeling odd talking a boy about getting his father out a place like Azkaban. Barty's father was in the Ministry, how could his own son be involved in something like this?

"What do I have to do to get him out of Azkaban?" Peter asked, knowing he was making a mistake.

"When the time comes and we ask for you and of you, you do so without question if you fail to comply your father goes straight back to Azkaban," Barty, answered.

"That's it?"

"It's much more than you think, Pettigrew, know that what we'll ask of you is not something so simple."

"But my father, he'll get out soon?"

"He'll be free from Azkaban by tomorrow night."

Barty gave one last look to Peter, a look of victory, before walking away. And Peter knew that he had just made the worst mistake of his life.

*********************************

_Peter knew his worst memory was the night he convinced Lily and James to let him be their secret keeper. It had been two years earlier that he was called on by Barty, without complaint Peter had become a death eate.r he knew there was a price but then Barty had told him his mission. He wouldn't be killing James and Lily but he knew he might as well have said the spell that killed them himself. _

*********************************

"I don't think Sirius should be the one to be the secret keeper, he is the closest to James and he'll be in the worse danger. Who do you think they'll go after first, James's best friend or an old friend?" Peter rationalized to the group, consisting of Sirius, James, Remus, and Lily.

"But that's the point, Peter, I am the closest to James, I would give my life for him without a thought. Who better to keep them safe than me?" Sirius defended.

"I agree that what Peter is saying makes sense," Remus added. "They'll expect for Sirius to be the secret keeper; they'll be watching him like a hawk. Everywhere he goes they'll go, expecting him to give away your location. If Sirius is kept in the dark then they'll be following the wrong person, they'll be wasting their time on the wrong man."

"You don't expect me to fold if I were captured, do you? All of you know that I am not a coward," said Sirius.

"That's not what they're saying, Sirius", James piped in, patting his friend on the shoulder. "We know that you would give your life for us because all of us would do the same. The thing is, we'd rather you not die, even though you seem intent on it," James joked, trying to lighten the mood but only got a few chuckled from Sirius and Remus. "We trust you, all of you, everyone in this room but we have to think of what's best for everyone and not just one party."

Sirius looked between his four closest friends and confidantes and sighed deeply, giving up on his argument. James seemed to realize this and turned to Lily, who in turn turned her attention to Peter.

"Peter, would you be our secret keep?" asked Lily.

Peter knew this is what he had been asked to do; he was to become the Potter's secret keeper. Then he could tell the Dark Lord where they were and he could continue his plan. For a moment though, Peter almost shouted out, NO! And spilled about all the horrible things he'd had to do and what he was about to do. Then he thought of his mother and his father and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Yes, if that is what you want," Peter replied instead. Everyone looked to one another in the room, a nod coming from each in turn.

"It is," James said, standing up and placing an arm around Peter's shoulders. "We trust you'd never steer us wrong, old friend."

_How wrong you are. _Peter thought sadly.

**************************************

_Peter got the news the following morning from Barty that the Dark Lord had been killed by the Potter's son. However Peter had to still continue with his plan, he had to disappear and frame Sirius Black for his death. _

**************************************

"I have to do what?!" asked Peter, his eyes growing big at Barty's words.

"You have to disappear, Pettigrew, no one can know it was you who was the Potter's secret Keep. You have to disappear and frame Sirius Black as your murderer so nothing he says is credible," Barty answered, as if speaking to a young child.

"When?"

"Now."

Peter felt himself go numb, he had to do two horrible things in two days, both of which will impact and destroy the lives of his only friends.

"You were their secret keeper, Pettigrew, even if you went and told them the truth they'll never forgive you," Barty said darkly, and the sad thing was, Peter knew he was right. He would never have Sirius or Remus' forgiveness for what he had done. Not that he would blame them, he had done terrible things, he had let James and Lily die. There was no Peter left in him any longer, he was Wormtail, the Death Eater and that was all he would ever be.

*************************************

_Peter had done as the Death Eaters had asked, also going overboard in his creative way of framing Sirius. He used a spell causing all muggles in the vicinity to be killed, then he did the only thing he could think of to prove he had been killed. He had cut off one of his fingers and placed it in the middle of the street. Peter knew there was no going back, the moment he joined the Death Eaters he became a plague, he either did the worst he could or he was not worthy of them either. Even if these things were true, he still felt the worst form of guilt there was possible when he watched Sirius being dragged away blamed for the death of him and those other muggles.  
Peter wasn't ignorant enough to think he would ever not feel guilty for things he did as a Death Eater, he knew everyone felt guilt inside they just chose to ignore it. The only peace he was able to muster was knowing his father was with his mother. The man may have murdered an innocent muggle in a fit of rage when his mother filed for divorce but he was there with her now and she was no longer alone and she was no longer afraid. Neither of them knew what Peter had become, they thought he was dead along with the rest of the world, beside the Dark Lord's followers, and that is what he wanted them to think. He had been Peter Pettigrew but now was known amongst the Dark Lord's followers as Wormtail, it had become his new identity with death.  
He was a Death Eater, he had murdered, he had allowed others to be murdered, among those his only friends, he wouldn't change his mind and he would wait patiently for the Dark Lord's return and not denounce his name. After all the horrible things he'd done, the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters had done worst and were the only ones who accepted Wormtail for what he had become._


End file.
